Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. $NATR Stock Holdings Lifted by Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C.

Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. lifted its holdings in Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR) by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,944,486 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 161,389 shares during the quarter. Nature’s Sunshine Products makes up approximately 2.2% of Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C.’s holdings, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. owned about 11.05% of Nature’s Sunshine Products worth $24,676,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of NATR. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products during the second quarter valued at approximately $21,561,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in Nature’s Sunshine Products by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 531,924 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,761,000 after purchasing an additional 7,827 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Nature’s Sunshine Products by 44.4% in the 1st quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 316,867 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,602,000 after purchasing an additional 97,397 shares during the last quarter. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products during the second quarter worth $7,412,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 83.0% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 178,241 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,276,000 after acquiring an additional 80,848 shares during the last quarter. 79.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Nature’s Sunshine Products Stock Up 0.4%

NASDAQ NATR opened at $12.07 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $212.43 million, a PE ratio of 10.27 and a beta of 0.80. Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. has a 12-month low of $11.92 and a 12-month high of $28.14. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $12.98 and its 200-day moving average is $20.41.

Nature’s Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.27 by ($0.06). Nature’s Sunshine Products had a return on equity of 12.88% and a net margin of 3.68%. The business had revenue of $116.99 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $123.70 million.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Nature’s Sunshine Products from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price target on shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products from $36.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Finally, DA Davidson cut their price target on Nature’s Sunshine Products from $33.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $25.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Prescott Group Capital Managem purchased 96,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $16.63 per share, with a total value of $1,596,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 1,883,610 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,324,434.30. The trade was a 5.37% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have acquired 161,389 shares of company stock worth $2,612,536 in the last 90 days. 3.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Nature’s Sunshine Products

Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc develops and sells natural health and wellness products through direct selling, e-commerce and other distribution channels. Its product portfolio includes dietary supplements, herbal supplements, vitamins, minerals, essential oils, sports nutrition products and personal-care items.

The company markets products primarily under the Nature’s Sunshine and Synergy WorldWide brands. Nature’s Sunshine focuses on nutritional and herbal wellness products, while Synergy offers supplements and performance-oriented nutrition products.